MicroRNA regulation of fruit development genes in contrasting Prunus persica varieties differing in harvest date.

In two nectarine varieties of Prunus persica, 380 novel miRNAs and stage-dependent expression differences link ppe-miR156 isoforms and ppe-miR858 to harvest-timing gene networks.

• Why it matters: Harvest date can vary by up to three months, yet the transcriptional and miRNA regulatory mechanisms shaping this trait are not well defined.
• What they did: Mesocarp traits and cell-wall remodeling were measured across four developmental stages, alongside RNA-seq and small-RNA profiling (Illumina HiSeq X and HiSeq 2500) with DESeq2 (FDR ≤ 0.05, |log2FC| > 1).
• The result: Three ppe-miR156 isoforms were negatively correlated with SPL transcription factors tied to abscisic acid and auxin signaling, and ppe-miR858 was negatively correlated with CSLC12 and MYB20, supporting candidate ppe-miR156-SPL and ppe-miR858-MYB20/CSLC12 regulators for harvest timing.

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